Accidentally Now
by Muffy the Dough Slayer
Summary: Part of the Now 'verse. Takes place anywhere between Hear Me Now and Steady Now. Accidents happen on stage, and this is a short series of accidents that have happened while Cas and Dean have been in the Drama Club. Dean/Cas Slash. Merry X-mas! COMPLETE.


For some reason, I have been in the mood to write one-shots for this 'verse lately. I enjoyed writing Kiss Me Now and started this shortly after. I love my new mini-laptop! Anyway, hope you are enjoyinig the one-shots?

Merry Christmas everyone!

Disclaimer: I have a general one but yeah...anyway, don't own anything, sorry. Just like to have fun ;)

Onward!

* * *

**Accidentally Now**

_Part of the Now 'verse_

Takes place anywhere between Hear Me Now and Steady Now

**Summary: **Basically just a serious of stage accidents, because as we all know, accidents happen. This is a series of stage accidents in North Lawrence High School Drama Club. Enjoy!

* * *

The phrase 'break a leg' got tossed around a lot. It was supposed to mean good luck for an actor or actress, but to Dean, it was like a damn omen. He should have known that when Hunter said 'break a leg' for this rehearsal that something would definitely go wrong. It was like he was cursed. It was like saying 'what's the worst that could happen' or 'it can't get any worse'. A damn curse, an omen, that was what it was.

So when Dean fell through the stage trapdoor because some idiot forgot to close the latch all the way, he wasn't necessarily so surprised. But then again, maybe that was just because his head was spinning and darkness was creeping into his vision, and his side was killing him. Had he broken a rib? How far had he fallen? He struggled to keep his eyes open as his head throbbed painfully, and Castiel shouted above him through the opening, "Dean!" People crowded around the opening as though confused about how this could happen, but it was just damn Winchester luck. If they didn't have bad luck, they'd have none at all. "Dean, are you okay?" Castiel's worried voice tore through the pain and Dean blinked, clearing his throat.

"Mmm…Yeah, I'm fine, just, uh…Ow." Yeah, 'cause that was totally something smart to say. Dean felt like rolling his eyes, and he would have, if his head didn't hurt from just having his eyes open. He allowed them to slide closed and concentrated on thinking about nothing, hoping the pain would die down and the fog would leave his mind.

A moment later, there was a soft, warm hand on his shoulder and a gentle, worried voice speaking his name. "Dean?"

Dean jerked in surprise, which in hindsight wasn't a good idea. Wincing, he blinked his eyes open and saw Castiel's blue eyes focused on him, dark with concern. "How did you…" he started, but then took notice of the damn ladder. Had that been there before? Why couldn't he have grabbed onto it? Was that why it hurt so much? Did he fall down the ladder? Thinking about it was making his head hurt all the worse so he stopped and swallowed thickly. "I'm fine." He wished that concerned look in Castiel's eyes would go away.

Cas didn't look convinced, not in the slightest. "Do you want us to call for an ambulance?"

"What…? No. Absolutely freakin' not," Dean grumbled, mood darkening at the mere thought of going to the hospital again. He hated the hospital. He was sure the whole world knew it by now, as much as he complained about it.

"Dean…"

"No…I'm fine, Cas, I swear." Wincing, he sat up as though to prove his point, and then doubled over in pain as his ribs ached in protest. Gasping, he clenched his eyes tightly shut as Castiel's worried hand tightened on his shoulder.

"Dean?"

"…Remind me…not to move again…'kay, Cas?" he murmured as he pried his eyes open, wincing again. "Think I…bruised my ribs on the way down. Jesus, what did I land on?"

Castiel's expression hardened. "An old wooden chair. And you might have hit the ladder on the way down…"

"Well…that explains it," Dean muttered, scowling. Just his freakin' luck. He sighed in resignation. "Help me up, yeah?"

"Maybe you should stay down…we can call for an-"

"Jeez, dude, I'm not that hurt! Just fell through the trap door! It's not like no one has ever done it before," he complained.

"You could have hit your head. You could have gotten a concussion or broken a rib, or-"

"Pessimist, much?" Dean sighed. "I'm fine, okay? Yeah, my head hurts and I'm sure my ribs are bruised, but they're not broken. They don't hurt _that_ much. And I don't have a concussion…I've had one of those before, remember?" he said quietly. Castiel frowned in silence and so he continued. "I'm fine. Help me up."

Sighing heavily, Castiel did so. He helped Dean stagger to his feet, wincing all the while. "Can you climb up?"

"Yeah." Dean looked up. People were peering down at them. Faces clogged the hole. "Take a picture," he called up to them, "it'll last longer!"

"Are you okay?" Anna called down worriedly.

"Jeez, alright? I'm fine!" he huffed before he glanced at Castiel, who still appeared uncertain. Lowering his voice so he was talking only to Cas, he said, "Honest…I'm fine. Just gonna be sore for a while, that's all."

Cas sighed and nodded, relenting, and Dean took to climbing up the ladder, Cas right behind him.

He was going to kill Hunter for cursing him.

'Break a leg' indeed.

* * *

Who would have thought practicing curtain call would be dangerous? Castiel certainly never would have thought so, but as he walked over to join his fellow cast members on stage, he tripped over said curtain and toppled off stage. Grimacing, he sat up with a wince as someone grabbed his arm and knelt next to him. He didn't have to look to see who it was, but he did anyway, looking into concerned green eyes. "You okay?" Dean inquired seriously while other cast members watched them in silence. Anna hurried everyone else away and into the back, backstage, which left the two of them alone.

"Yeah," Castiel sighed. "Just clumsy, I guess."

Dean chuckled and helped him to his feet. "Hurt anywhere?" he asked it casually but Castiel could see the worry dark in his eyes.

He shook his head. "Twisted my wrist but other than that, no. I'm fine." He echoed Dean's words from when he'd fallen through the trap door.

"Let me see," Dean said, and it wasn't a request. Sighing, Castiel held out his hand and Dean grabbed his wrist, turning it lightly and gently in his hold. Castiel winced and Dean stopped turning it, instead prodding it lightly. "Probably just a sprain."

"Yeah."

"You'll live."

"I kinda figured," Castiel said, rolling his eyes. Dean smirked at him.

"Be more careful next time when you're trying to walk, yeah?"

Castiel snorted. "Not my fault."

"No? The curtain's plotting against you now, is that it?"

"…Yes?"

Dean grinned and shook his head. "Nice to know, Cas, nice to know. I'll be sure to get right onto thwarting them in their malicious plot to send you to the ground."

Castiel rolled his eyes. "Uh…thanks?"

Dean shrugged and slung his arm over his shoulders, which yes, did make him feel better. "Let's get out of here, yeah? You've had enough curtain trauma for one day."

"You're never going to let me live this down, are you?"

"Nope," Dean said surely, grinning at him. "So let's go get some milkshakes into you."

Castiel sighed. "Can we just leave?"

"Meeting was almost over anyway," Dean said. "C'mon, Cassie."

"Don't call me that." He scowled.

"Okay…Cassandra of the Floor." Castiel sighed and shook his head, figuring he wouldn't win.

He rarely did when it came to this.

* * *

Castiel entered the costumes' room to sift through boxes for the right hat, because apparently, the one Hunter wore now was just 'wrong', as labeled by Anna's standards. He didn't quite like this room, as it reminded him of being trapped by Sam in these four walls, but then again, he liked it because it was here he'd kissed Dean, where the two of them had admitted to liking one another. It held both fond memories and hated memories.

It was busy in Drama Club today. Mostly on stage and backstage, but people were moving around throughout. So when the door to the costumes' room was bumped shut, Castiel thought nothing of it. An accident, it happened. He'd done it himself on more than one occasion.

It was when he tried to leave that he realized the door had automatically locked. The edges of panic started to consume him but he forced himself to calm down. The place was busy today, so someone was sure to hear him, right? Swallowing, he called out, "Hello? Hey! The door's locked! Hello!" He pounded against the door but apparently, whoever had bumped it shut had hurried off to join the other cast members on stage. He remembered how no one had heard him and Dean when they'd been trapped in here. The stupid door was thick.

And this time, there was no Dean to possibly comfort him or distract him with sweet kisses. This time, he was alone and the crammed, confining space felt all the more so. It felt like he couldn't breathe, and he looked at his watch. Still twenty minutes before Drama Club ended. Dean would come looking for him if he didn't show up to leave, right? Surely he would.

But then, Castiel remembered Dean asking if Jimmy was coming to get him to take him home or if he was. Castiel had never been able to answer in the hustle of Drama Club today, and now he worried that maybe Dean_ would_ leave without him and he'd be stuck here all night and this place couldn't possibly hold much air and-

He was hyperventilating. It was hard to breathe and his fear and upped a couple notches, his heart racing wildly in his chest. He vowed that if he got out of here, he was never _ever_ coming back into this room ever again. But what if he didn't get out? What if Dean left without him and no one knew he was in here and-

_Okay, calm down,_ he told himself, _before you pass out due to lack of air. That won't help. Calm down…_

He tried, but it was certainly hard. Panic clawed at him like a fierce cat trying to get to catnip, and all he could think was, _Dean. Don't leave. Find me. Dean._

Surely someone would notice he was missing, right? Dean was busy, having one of the main roles on stage today, so he probably would be too occupied to notice much of anything. Hopefully someone else would though, right? Surely someone would?

Taking quick, shaky breaths was starting to make him feel overly lightheaded. He leaned against the wall next to the door and slid down it, sitting heavily on the ground as he struggled to calm his racing heart. It was so hard to breathe…the walls appeared to be closing in on him and he clenched his eyes tightly closed, trying to imagine himself somewhere else, somewhere he felt safe, somewhere peaceful…

He imagined himself with Dean. But the room was too quiet and the illusion was quickly shattered, and his heart raced all the more. His breaths became all the more shaky and panicky and quick. His mind was scatterbrained and he couldn't think clearly.

A quick look at his watch startled him. Five minutes until time to leave. Fifteen minutes had somehow passed in the haze of his fear and his panic strengthened at the thought maybe Dean had already left. He hadn't noticed he was missing, had thought Jimmy had come to get him, had left, wasn't coming to get Castiel out of the closer, wasn't coming to find him-

The door to the room opened and Castiel held his breath, feeling overly lightheaded with the need to breathe correctly. Green eyes peered down at him. "Cas? What are you doing in here?"

Castiel jumped to his feet and launched himself into Dean's arms. "You came, you came, you came," he breathed, closing his eyes. He knew he probably looked ridiculous, being in high school and all, but he couldn't help it. He clung to Dean like a lost child. He hated that room - absolutely _hated_ it.

"What…? Cas, are you okay?" Dean's arms came around him slowly, unsurely, but when they did come up, they were tight and comforting. "…Cas?"

Dean's voice was comforting, warm and solid, and Castiel took in small breath. "Got locked in," he murmured pathetically.

"How? Why were you even in here? I thought you hated this room."

"I do," Castiel agreed quickly, swallowing again as he loosened his hold on Dean. "Anna wanted a hat…so I came in and…I guess someone bumped the door accidentally, and…it locked, I guess…" He took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but the fear from that room still remained. "Thought you were gonna leave…"

"Nah," Dean said easily. "Didn't see you around for a while and you didn't say Jimmy was coming to get you, so I figured I'd better look for you before I left, just in case. I'll tell Anna not to make you come back in this room again, okay?"

"…It's stupid."

"Huh?"

"This." He chuckled bitterly. "Being afraid of a stupid room."

"Dude, it's not your fault," Dean told him as the two broke apart. "Everyone's afraid of something. For you, it's small rooms. There's a lot of people like that, man. I don't think any less of you, if that's what you're worried about."

Castiel nodded slowly, still not entirely convinced that Dean didn't think him stupid for his fear, but he did feel better, he had to admit. "Can we get out of here, please?"

"Of course, thought you'd never ask," Dean said, smiling warmly as he slung and arm over his shoulders and led him out of the room. "I'm thinking milkshakes, extra pumps of vanilla."

Castiel chuckled weakly. Milkshakes and pie were like Dean's cure all.

"And pie," Dean said as though reading his mind. "We'll get you lots and lots of delicious pie."

Castiel smiled slowly as the two of them left the Drama Club room.

"Thanks," he murmured.

"Don't mention it, Cassie."

This time, just once, Castiel didn't scowl at him for using the name. For now.

He was just happy to be with Dean and out of that room.

* * *

Sand bags were heavy. Some people might not have thought so, but Dean definitely knew better. So when one fell on him in the middle of rehearsal, his first thought was, _Ha! I told you they were heavy!_ And then he groaned in pain as he smacked into the ground. Whoever had gotten the job of tying up the sand bags today, he was going to kill them, eviscerate them slowly. Yes, that sounded pleasant. The sand bag was rolled off of him and he blinked his eyes open to see Cas frowning at him worriedly. "Are you all right?"

"Mm, just peachy, feel my fuzz?" he mumbled as he sat up, rubbing painfully at the back of his head. "I'm gonna kill someone."

"It was an accident," Castiel said.

"So?"

He shook his head. "You sure you're okay?" He frowned in doubt and Dean sighed heavily.

"Yes, I'm sure…it's just a sand bag. Good thing the ones here aren't as heavy as the ones in real theaters, eh?" He sighed. _Sure hurt, though. Damn. Taken down by a stupid sand bag. Sam will never let me live this down if he hears about it._ But Sammy wouldn't hear about it. He looked at Cas. "You tell Sammy anything about this, and no milkshakes for a week!"

Cas smirked and shook his head as he helped Dean to his feet. "Would I do that?"

"I don't know, but you better not!" He narrowed his eyes. "I'm watching you."

"Joy."

Dean rolled his eyes as Anna approached them. "You okay?" she asked, frowning at him and his now-rumpled appearance.

"Just peachy, again," Dean said with a sigh. "Who tied those stupid bags up, anyway?"

"Hunter."

Dean curled his hands into fists joyfully. "I'm gonna kill him."

"Now, Dean-"

"Step aside, Anna, he's all mine!" Dean darted toward backstage and Anna sighed behind him, standing with Cas.

Sure, it had been an accident, but he'd warned everyone those stupid bags were heavy and no one had listened to him, and thus they'd tied it up wrong and he'd gotten hit by the bag for it.

He was going to enjoy eviscerating Hunter. It was time to give Hunter an accident of his own…hopefully.

Because, after all, accidents happened, even here in the high school Drama Club.

* * *

Hope you like! Thanks so much for reading, and please review! Thanks so much!

~Muffy the Dough Slayer~


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